Tax Free Weekend for Emergency Supplies Begins Saturday

The first of the three 'tax free weekends' in Texas begins at midnight Saturday and runs through Monday, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.

It is a tax free weekend for the purchase of emergency supplies.

Kevin Lyons of the State Comptroller's Office says there are three tiers of items that are tax free.

"Items that are less than $3,000, that's one item, like generators," he said.  "Then there are items priced at less than $300, like hurricane shutters and emergency ladders.  Then there are a wide variety of items priced at under $75, including batteries, fuel containers, and flashlights."

He says any item that can be used for emergencies at home or in the car, but they must be only for emergency use.

For example, some items that do not qualify include:

batteries for automobiles, boats and other motorized vehicles;

camping stoves and camping supplies

;chainsaws;

plywood;extension ladders and stepladders; 

and tents.

Lyons says considering the hail storms, tornadoes and windstorms we have seen in the last year in Texas, not to mention Hurricane Harvey, its not a matter of if you will need these emergency supplies, but when, so you might as well take advantage of the tax savings.

Both state sales taxes and local sales taxes are exempt on these items this weekend.

A sales tax holiday on 'Energy Star' energy efficient items comes up over Memorial Day, and the always popular Back to School sales tax holiday is coming up in August.


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